10x10 Launches Global Campaign to Educate Girls and Change the World

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- 10x10, a global action campaign for girls' education, today announces its official launch event to take place on October 10, 2012 – the eve of the United Nations' first International Day of the Girl. The event will be hosted by Christian Amanpour – ABC News Global Affairs Anchor, CNN Chief International Correspondent, and host of "Amanpour" – at the Paley Center for Media in New York City, kicking off a worldwide movement to educate girls and change the world. 

10x10 is a grassroots campaign, and at its center is a feature film. Initiated by a team of Oscar-nominated and Emmy award-winning producers and directors, 10x10 has grown into a movement that includes a network of global supporters – from strategic partner Intel Corporation to notable NGOs: Afghan Connection, A New Day Cambodia, CARE USA, UN Foundation's Girl Up, Partners in Health, Plan International USA, Pratham USA, Room to Read, and World Vision.

10x10 will also debut the trailer of their forthcoming feature film, Girl Rising, with voice performances by world-renowned actresses including Academy Award winner Meryl Streep, Academy Award nominee Anne Hathaway, and Selena Gomez. The film is directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Robbins.  The film tells the extraordinary stories of girls from around the globe fighting to overcome impossible odds to realize their dreams.

On this unforgettable evening, artists, writers, activists, and girls from around the world will come together, through stories and performance, to inspire awareness about the importance of educating girls. Special guest speakers include: Marie Arana, novelist and journalist; Shabana Basij-Rasikh, Managing Director of SOLA (School of Leadership, Afghanistan), who dressed as a boy to get an education in Afghanistan; Azure Antoinette, poet and spoken word artist; Lindsay Brown, Seventeen Magazine's "Pretty Amazing" winner, Notre Dame student, and founder of the non-profit SEGWAY. 

On the International Day of the Girl (October 11, 2012), 10x10's partners and supporters will host hundreds of their own events around the globe – from global employee engagements at Intel to small, intimate events in homes from Bursa, Turkey to schools in Ghana. Partners are also joining, with Plan International lighting monuments – the Empire State Building and London Eye among them – bright pink to celebrate the International Day of the Girl. 

The event organizers will have exclusive access to the talks and performances from the 10x10 marquee event. Exclusive video content from the Paley Center event in New York City will be digitally distributed to event organizers all around the world on the night of October 10^th, inspiring conversation, awareness and action around girls' education on October 11^th, the International Day of the Girl.

"On the first International Day of the Girl, we are putting a face on the millions of girls who do not have access to quality education, and telling their stories through remarkable artists, committed champions, and stalwart partners," said Holly Gordon, Executive Director of the 10x10 Campaign. "With hundreds of 10x10 events planned around the world on this single day, we have the opportunity to grow and connect a community of advocates for girls and begin to create real change."

Intel Corporation is underwriting 10x10's International Day of the Girl marquee event. Urban Outfitters and others are also supporting 10x10, with a "Share the film trailer" matching campaign for the 10x10 Fund for Girls' Education, which is distributed to 10x10's nine nonprofit partners.

"As a journalist, I've covered stories around the globe and witnessed the incredible impact education can have on a girl, her family, and her community," said Amanpour. "I'm proud to participate in the first International Day of the Girl, joining renowned leaders and artists who are working to help educate millions of girls around the world."

About 10x10
10x10 was founded by award-winning journalists at the Documentary Group and Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Productions, along with strategic partner, Intel Corporation. 10x10 is built on a foundation of partnerships with NGOs, corporations, policy makers, and grassroots organizations – all working to change minds, lives, and policy. 10x10's coalition of NGO partners include a high-impact network of champions and leaders in girls' education. These organizations provide life-changing services to girls every day, and are among the best practitioners of their kind. They include: Afghan Connection, A New Day Cambodia, CARE USA, UN Foundation's Girl Up, Partners in Health, Plan International USA, Pratham USA, Room to Read, and World Vision.

SOURCE 10x10